All-rounder Michael Bracewell’s participation in the five-match T20I series against India is contingent upon his recuperation from a slight left-calf strain he experienced during the third ODI at Indore, according to New Zealand coach Rob Walter.
New Zealand defeated India by 41 runs to win a record 2-1 ODI series at the Holkar Stadium. However, Bracewell was unable to bowl due to a calf ache he sustained while fielding.
“Bracewell will be treated and monitored over the coming days before a decision on his further involvement in the tour is confirmed. It was incredibly special to win the ODI series and create some history. There were lots of special performances combined with fantastic teamwork to achieve something that hadn’t been done before,” said Walter in a release issued by New Zealand Cricket.
Bracewell will stay with the team, according to Walter, but the players needed to recover quickly ahead of the T20 series, which starts in Nagpur on Wednesday.
“Michael has travelled with the squad to Nagpur. But with a short turn-around to the T20 series we’ll need to recover well and refocus quickly to be ready for the opening game,” he added.
After being named to the T20 team for the first three matches against India, the 50-year-old also revealed that pacer Kristian Clarke will stay with the touring group.
“We’ve got a fair bit of player movement at the moment with some guys returning from injury for this series, others joining us immediately from franchise cricket and the rest coming off the India ODI series and Super Smash,” he said.
According to Walter, the main reason of Clarke’s addition was to increase the fast bowling options.
“We want to ensure we’ve got enough pace-bowling options for the first three games of this series and it’s a great opportunity for Kristian to stay on with the group a little longer on his first tour of India.”
In his first ODI series, Clarke performed admirably, taking seven wickets in three games, including dismissing Virat Kohli twice. While batting lower order, he also contributed valuable runs and took two catches.
“He certainly showcased his talent in the ODI series, but what was particularly impressive was his calmness and ability to perform under pressure,” said Walter.
